As an avid race car driver, I’m a huge fan of speed—of winning and having experiences that leave you wanting more. With seven years of competitive driving in my blood, it’s in my DNA to look ahead, see where I want to go, and decide what’s the best—and fastest—way to get there.
Writing that down, it’s no wonder why I enjoy my role as chief customer officer at N-able, where it’s my job to help our partners succeed at scale. So, what can I share about my racing experience that resonates with your success as an MSP? Let’s start and end here: The experience you have, create, share, and deliver is what matters most. Allow me to explain.
Before each race, I instinctively look at the track and check out my car. But it’s the time spent behind the wheel and with my pit crew that makes the difference.
This same idea holds true for you and your customers. The landscape matters and yes, the technology is important (especially the managed security), but where the true value comes into play is the confidence you and your team bring to a business and its ecosystem as the driver, the pit crew, the trusted adviser. That’s what they are paying for. Your expertise. Your pit crew. The track might change, the car and the technology certainly will, but you are the constant. You and your team bring the calm and the creativity. You help them get to where they want to go safely and at top speed.
So how do you keep this energy going as an MSP and ensure that the customer experiences your biggest differentiator? Here are three things to consider:
- Share the Road – Respect plays a big role in being the best at what you do. You must maintain a healthy respect for the people and the processes you keep. Nurture the relationships you have and seek out the ones you need to do more for your team and your customers. Pay attention to the competition, but keep your eyes on the goals you and your customers share.
- Always Refuel – Don’t forget the fundamentals and always keep learning. Take care of yourself. Invest in your talent and your customers. Fill them with knowledge and share the journey. What’s inside and driving the company matters. Listen to the needs of your team and your customers.
- Stay Fast and Focused – Speed without direction is a ride to nowhere many companies take. Find new and different ways to go further faster with your customers. Ask questions. Document answers. Get to know what else your team and your customers need to be successful and help identify what they can do better.
Remember, the experience is everything, but you can’t have everything if you don’t pay attention to the fundamentals of success and bring everyone with you on the ride.
KEVIN BURY is senior vice president, chief customer officer at N-able. He brings decades of experience and a passion for building and leading high-performance teams that help customers solve their most pressing challenges. Prior to his role with N-able, Bury led the customer experience teams for SolarWinds for seven years. Those teams introduced several award-winning, customer-focused programs, including the SolarWinds Academy, Smart Start assisted onboarding, the Customer Success Center, and Customer Success Managers. Previously, he held chief executive officer positions at two high-growth tech companies—guiding QuickArrow to a successful acquisition by NetSuite and Affiniscape to a successful acquisition by Riverside Capital. Bury also ran the global software-as-service business unit for HP, growing it into one of the most successful teams.
